Am I the only one who hates cleaning ARs?

[someguy2800]

I hate cleaning all guns so I just don’t do it. I clean bores with foaming bore cleaner to get the copper out, give them a wipe down on the outside, oil with CLP, and call it a day. When they get truly crud’d up I take them apart and spray them out with brake clean.

 

[entropy]

No, I do too, as a result of having to clean them for the REMF's in my unit who's idea of cleaning them after an FTX was running a patch down the barrel. Oh, yes, I sent them back to clean more, again and again, but I wanted to clear my stuff out, too,so I could go enjoy the cold ones I had sitting in my fridge in the barracks, just like anyone else.. I had an M35A2 I had to PMCS and clean, and an M16A1 I was issued that I had to clean, and had had the most blanks (or rounds, if after a range) through it. I'd pass still-dirty guns, then leisurely clean the whole units weapons correctly over the next week or so. So yeah, when my son son brought me the AR he was trading to me dirty, I gave him an earful, because I had trained him in how to clean it, and he had failed to do so. I will admit with my own AR's, I don't keep them to the standards expected in the Arms Room, but I do make sure the chamber, bolt, and immediate area are cleaned every time, and the rest as they get dirtier after a few outings.

 

[Varminterror]

It’s more work to clean some of my bolt guns than it is my AR’s - I need a high comb riser, which has to be removed on some of my stick shifts.

 

[Riomouse911]

AR cleaning isn’t all that bad, especially since they disassemble easy-peasy and you can get to almost any part that needs attention.

Cleaning an 8 or 9 shot DA .22 revolver? For me that’s a lot of scrubbing and patches!

Stay safe.

 

[BSA1]

One of the big advantages of competition shooting is developing confidence in your firearm(s). Shooting a lot with little maintenance builds trust and knowledge about what your guns are capable of. When I was active in competition shooting (IPSC, IDPA and CAS) demands for my time for at home during family stuff, time at the reloading bench, time at the range for practice and of course shooting matches pushed cleaning guns at the near bottom of the list. My policy was and mostly still is they get cleaned once a year during the winter. My main exception is when breaking in new guns as I want to check for signs on out-of-spec parts and unusual wear. My standard for edc gun is 500 troublefree rounds without any cleaning. I do like having a clean rifle when working up loads to remove that variable.

Very few gun owners and THR members ever shoot their guns enough to cause malfunctions so cleaning is really more of leisure activity. IMO many owners way overdo cleaning especially with black powder.

 

[skeeterfogger]

I like cleaning every one I shoot. When I'm done I know there won't be any surprises later.

 

[coloradokevin]

I hate cleaning them, and I'm also not doing so for a USMC inspection.

My normal "routine" cleaning usually involves not much more than: chamber brush, bore snake (for the chrome barrels, rod and brushes/patches for match barrels), and then I literally douse the BCG in brake cleaner, and wipe out the inside of the receivers. After that I re-lube everything, particularly the parts I basically stripped of oils with brake cleaner. Frankly, as often as I used to shoot I didn't have time to give the guns a white glove cleaning every time them hit the range. Some of my AR-15's have seen over 10,000 rounds in a single year.

And, despite what the old codgers at the gun counter might tell you, most modern guns (especially guns like the AR-15) will run perfectly well even when dirty. A basic cleaning every few hundred rounds will keep them running without issues into the future.

I've had as many as 3,000 rounds through an AR-15 without the least bit of cleaning in the past (during a shooting course I attended years ago, followed by a subsequent competition).

 

[Gtscotty]

I dislike cleaning revolvers, ARs are easy. I like a machine that is designed for easy maintenance, and the AR certainly is. I don't clean mine much because they don't need it to run fine and maintain accuracy. There's no one leaning over me and white gloving my rifles, so I'm satisfied just doing what works.

The AR I shoot the most is run supressed 100% of the time, and therefore gets much dirtier than if it were run loud. Even with that gun, I wipe down the bolt between range trips with a rag, say, every 100 rds or so and then relube it with something like Lucas Extreme Duty, Slip 2k or even Mobile 1. With any of those, the carbon seems to wipe right off of the exterior. Every several hundred rounds I'll break down the bolt and scrape a bit, I clean the bore when accuracy drops off. Pretty easy cleaning regime all around.

 

[Bfh_auto]

It's so easy a caveman can do it.

 

[EO1]

In the Navy, we had to clean each M16A2 3 times. You cleaned one for the first time then took it to the MA for a second cleaning on another until all had been cleaned 3 times. Each company took turns cleaning that company's rifles.
That's why you couldnt pay me to own an AR type rifle now.

 

[Texas10mm]

Just for giggles I decided last year to not clean one of my 1911 pistols till it had a problem. It's now got over 2k rounds through it and it's still running just fine. I put a drop of lube in the correct places every couple of range trips and it's fine.

I haven't cleaned my Ruger PPC yet and it has 1.5K through it so far.

I don't shoot my AR rifles much at all. Haven't cleaned one yet.

 

[Ignition Override]

I shot only 20 rds., that's correct, and days later cleaned the '85 Colt AR. A friend had recently "let me use it" (you know exactly what this means) and cleaning is never difficult, just a bit tedious.
ARs never grabbed me like my imported AKs, so I very seldom ask to "use the AR".

The friend who owns it never got the true gun bug, and in addition hates gun cleaning.

The tedious aspect which I find a turn off is rubbing a very light layer of CLP, but not missing a single square millimeter of metal, both inside the receiver, every component (Q-tips) and outside, with small moist patches. This is because the metal needs long-term protection.

Do you want Your guns -years from now, maybe soon after you are die -to resemble the unattractive guns brought to gun shows which everybody passes by?
That's lots of "lost cash" for a needy widow, son, daughter or friend.

 

[Riomouse911]

Just for giggles I decided last year to not clean one of my 1911 pistols till it had a problem. It's now got over 2k rounds through it and it's still running just fine. I put a drop of lube in the correct places every couple of range trips and it's fine.

I haven't cleaned my Ruger PPC yet and it has 1.5K through it so far.

I don't shoot my AR rifles much at all. Haven't cleaned one yet.

I’ve read BCM went 25k (+/-) with one of their guns before cleaning it, only keeping it well lubed with oil (slip 2000) and performing some minor maintenance as parts failed along the way.

https://www.slip2000.com/blog/s-w-a-t-magazine-filthy-14/

I do keep my guns cleaned and wiped down, probably to excess, but it’s a habit ingrained in my psyche by my Grandfather. He handed me down several well-used firearms made from the 1920’s to the 1950’s that are all in great working order, so I think he may have been on to something.

Stay safe!

 

[GBExpat]

Am I the only one who hates cleaning ARs?

? You mean ... we're supposed to clean our ARs?

 

[FL-NC]

At this point (after 23 years in the mil and 5 as a contractor, now just a guy who shoots once a week) I just go into autopilot when cleaning any gun. Just tune into the music I like, break out the cleaning gear, and go to work.

 

[entropy]

Yup, good tunes, and the smell of CLP helps immensely.

 

[bikerdoc]

At 70 I can still remember being the only one to clean a weapon good enough to please Sgt Oliver.

 

[kenboyles72]

I enjoy cleaning my weapons, it relaxes me. As far as the AR15 goes, it's one of the easiest firearms to clean. That is, if you clean it on a regular basis and not go months without cleaning. It usually takes me about 10-15 mins to clean my AR and I clean after every shooting. Mostly a few passes in the barrel and just a wipe down and re-lube of the bcg. After shooting 22lr through it is a different story, 22lr is very dirty in an AR.

 

[cfullgraf]

I clean my AR's periodically when shooting at home, mostly when I think I will not shoot the gun for a while.

I shoot an AR-15 on the prairie dog fields and clean the gun each evening. Generally it is after 200-300 rounds fired during the day.

I really do not find them difficult to clean. They take a little time and require having the correct tools and materials on hand to make the job efficient.

In any case, I've never had an issue with my gun on the prairie dog fields.

FYI, my prairie dog gun is a 26" barrel AR-15 chambered in 204 Ruger.

 

[jmorris]

I like cleaning bores by shoving bullets through them, maybe add some heat...it’s a labor of love.

Do you want Your guns -years from now, maybe soon after you are die -to resemble the unattractive guns brought to gun shows which everybody passes by?
That's lots of "lost cash" for a needy widow, son, daughter or friend.

Yeah, my stopped heart will cry for them.

If they cared enough for them to obtain poession of my firearms by my wishes, they would already know how to care and enjoy them. Others might not be worthy though.

 

[joseywales76]

Old rag and toothbrush. Then regrease

 

[rskent]

• carburetor cleaner - Don't get it on the GI plastic stock.

• long pipe cleaners for the gas tube

• dental picks

• immersion in boiling water and solvent mix - Remove the furniture.

Not only no, but **** no!

Why in the name of all that is holy would you want to subject your rifle to this type of medieval torture.

 

[Ks5shooter]

Quick PM cleaning after range, detail every 1k or so

 

[Skylerbone]

I grew up cleaning dad’s service revolvers, which actually saw weekly use (practice). That for an 8 year old was a big deal and I don’t mind it a bit to this day. I can probably eat off any firearm in my collection except the ARs ; they’re clean, just not spotless.

 

[md7]

The way I go about cleaning AR’s takes about 10 to 15 minutes. I’ll go several hundred, close to 1,000 rounds, between cleaning. That gets em clean enough for my tastes.

Lube on the other hand...... they get lubed generously and often.